“Guided by the Right to Free Speech,” Prime Minister Modi Voices Concern About Extremist Organizations Abroad

In his first statement on US accusations of a plan to assassinate Khalistani leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed India’s “deep concern about the activities of certain extremist groups based overseas.”

The prime minister went on, “These elements, under the guise of freedom of expression, have engaged in intimidation and incited violence,” in an exclusive interview with the Financial Times.

To the dismay of Western countries, India has persistently attempted to bring radical organizations to the notice of the globe. The most recent repercussion was the diplomatic spat between Canada and India that surfaced when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a suggestion about the “possible” role of Indian spies in the June 18 murder of Khalistani rebel Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia. In 2020, India classified Nijjar as a terrorist.

Although Trudeau’s accusations were dismissed by India as “absurd” and “motivated,” the prime minister said that his choice to make the accusations public was meant to “put a chill” on India’s potential to repeat a similar move.

India found itself in a similar predicament concerning the US when it was discovered that Nikhil Gupta, 52, was charged by the US with murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, both of which carry a potential 10-year prison sentence. According to US officials, Gupta agreed to provide an assassin $100,000 to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist leader who lived in New York City.

Prime Minister Modi responded to the accusations by saying, “If someone gives us any information, we will definitely look into it,” on Wednesday. We are prepared to investigate any actions, good or bad, that one of our citizens may have taken. We are dedicated to upholding the law.

He refuted claims that the allegations would spark a diplomatic spat similar to what happened with Canada.

“Strong bipartisan support exists for fortifying this connection, which is indicative of a developed and reliable alliance. A crucial element of our collaboration has been our cooperation on security and counterterrorism. I don’t believe it is right to associate a few events with the two nations’ diplomatic ties, he said.

The foreign ministry of India had previously said that New Delhi would “take necessary follow-up action” after establishing a high-level committee to look into the US accusations.

PANNUN: INDIA’S HEADACHE Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US-based Khalistani separatist and the leader of the banned group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), has been under observation by Indian authorities.

In his most recent hate speech, Pannun questioned NSA Ajit Doval, PM Modi, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s “24/7 security blanket.” Pantun referred to them as the “axis of evil,” threatening that they should be “ready to face the consequences” and bringing up the death of Khalistani rebel Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada as the “first bullet” that India had fired. 180 days have passed since Najjar was killed, and Pannun took pride in the violence shown by supporters of Khalistani in Vancouver.

about no effect, New Delhi has also regularly alerted Canadian authorities about threats made by Khalistani groups and violent protests against India on its territory. Arindam Bagchi, a spokesman for the External Affairs Ministry, has previously said that India had brought up the new threats made against India by Pannun with the US and Canada.

On November 19, Pannun posted a video last month that threatened passengers on Air India aircraft. In reaction to an alleged failed assassination attempt on his life, he had allegedly threatened to strike the Parliament of India.

Pannun said he would launch an assault on the Parliament on or before December 13 in retaliation for the unsuccessful plot by Indian agents to assassinate him. The video included a poster of the 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru with the tagline, “Delhi Banega Khalistan.”

“On December 13, I will respond in a way that contradicts the 2001 Afzal Gurus’ opposition to the extrajudicial killings of Kashmiris, but it will still rock the core of India’s Parliament.” “Delhi BanayGa Khalista,” said Pannun.

Earlier, Pannun said, “We are the ones who are fighting India’s violence with words,” denouncing the Indian government’s decision to designate him as a terrorist. We are using the voting booth to repel India’s gunshots. They are offering hundreds of thousands of dollars to have me killed. Who is a terrorist and who is not should be decided by the world.

CANADA AND THE US SILENT AMID THREAT?
Regarding Gupta, a senior intelligence officer informed CNN-News18 that there was no purpose to the arrest. People in America are now attempting to relate this to a position in the government. We have been providing the US with evidence against Pannun. They ought to have reacted to the evidence more quickly. When he regularly threatens the National Security Advisor, the External Affairs Minister, and the Indian Prime Minister, they remain silent.

As part of the intelligence-sharing network known as “Five Eyes,” the US, Canada, and allies reportedly swapped information, according to a Financial Times story. The murder of Nijjar and the plan to assassinate Pannun have raised questions in Delhi “about a possible pattern of behavior.”

The study said, “After Trudeau made public details of the Vancouver killing, Washington shared details of the Pannun case with a wider group of allies, the combination of which sparked concern among allies about a possible pattern of behavior.”

Pannun, a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, describes himself as the general counsel of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a “unlawful association.” Since 2019, when the anti-terror organization filed its first case against him, he has been under investigation by the NIA.

One year after the Center outlawed the SFJ, on July 1, 2020, the Ministry of Home Affairs designated Pannun as a “individual terrorist.”

on Canada, New Delhi has expressed serious worries on the ongoing anti-Indian actions carried out by separatist Khalistani organizations there.

According to a press statement from the ministry of foreign affairs, PM Modi informed Trudeau on the fringes of the G20 meeting that Khalistani separatists had been using Canadian territory as a springboard for secessionism in recent years. PM Modi informed Trudeau that these radical Khalistanis have endangered the Indian population in Canada as well as their places of worship, incited violence against Indian diplomats, and destroyed diplomatic property.

India made a demarche and summoned the Canadian ambassador earlier in July in response to the growing actions of pro-Khalistani groups in Canada. The separatists, who are suspected of having ties to Pakistan’s secret services, distributed certain posters including the names of specific Indian diplomats, prompting the action.

“Canada should also be concerned about the connections between these forces and human trafficking, drug cartels, and organized crime. According to the news release, the prime minister informed his Canadian colleague that “it is essential for the two countries to cooperate in dealing with such threats.”

There have been at least six documented cases of Khalistani separatists in Canada damaging temples with anti-India graffiti and threatening to harm worshippers who attend. In some cases, these separatist groups have also attacked Canadian Indians, Indian community members, and Sikhs who do not share their ideology.

India has maintained again and time again that terrorists and criminals find sanctuary in Canada. A list of forty-three people has been made public by the NIA; some of them may be connected to a Canadian-based mafia network. India has repeatedly sent Canada dossiers, but these organizations have not been the target of any action. People now claim that Canada is mostly to blame for the lack of action taken against these organizations and criminals.